Post New Article

A retired physician's take on epidemiologists

Original Article

Posted By: DVC, 6/23/2020 11:28:36 AM

  I am a retired physician. Over my career, I've had some contact with epidemiology. I'll be blunt here: I came away unimpressed with that field. Here's why: 1. When a pandemic strikes, I've never once witnessed an epidemiologist get his hands dirty in providing actual patient care. So where the rubber meets the road during a pandemic, they're useless. 2. Their models, and therefore their advice and counsel, are based upon best guesses  Correction*

Comments:

I agree with his whole commentary, but his comments on their epidemic models. As a professional modeler of other phenomena, I'd be pretty embarrassed if I was ever as accurate as these folks - or should I say, as inaccurate.
Protect the elderly, epecially with other health issues, let the rest of the people just get on with their lives.

*Extraneous material removed from Intro.  Please be careful when cutting/pasting, and proofread post before submitting.

Post Reply

Reply 1 - Posted by: wakeupcall 6/23/2020 11:40:50 AM (No. 454024)
Epidemiologists = SWAG In this case I would say sophisticated is a bad guess.
3 people like this.

Reply 2 - Posted by: MickTurn 6/23/2020 11:48:25 AM (No. 454037)
Dr. (and I use the title loosely) Fackie Faucci Says: OUCH, OWIE, MY BUTT HURTS, UUUHHHHHH!
5 people like this.

Reply 3 - Posted by: earlybird 6/23/2020 11:48:27 AM (No. 454038)
I thought this was a terrific article. He didn’t miss anything...
12 people like this.

Reply 4 - Posted by: hurricanegirl 6/23/2020 12:16:16 PM (No. 454080)
That's one heck of an opening "sentence"!!!
7 people like this.

Reply 5 - Posted by: DVC 6/23/2020 12:31:48 PM (No. 454103)
Sorry for the cut and paste error....I didn't see that it had grabbed some of the non-text stuff, too.
4 people like this.

Reply 6 - Posted by: TundraStan 6/23/2020 12:39:04 PM (No. 454114)
Excellent analysis. As an over 70 age physician, I worked regularly and took the risks. This is one more example of the elitism existing in the country. I might have a better view if dr. Fauci were not a strong supporter of hildabeast.
18 people like this.

Reply 7 - Posted by: Mr. Know-It-All 6/23/2020 12:54:00 PM (No. 454135)
5. In fact, they have no personal economic skin in the game. During any pandemic lockdown, the epidemiologists still receive their full salary and benefits. I've always thought it would be interesting to suspend their pay and benefits during a lockdown and see how enthusiastic they'd be about continuing! It's easy to make dire and sweeping pronouncements when you have no skin in the game. Amen! These wannabe dictator governors and mayors (and legislators and congress critters) who want to keep things shut down until next year should not get paid as long as it goes on. We would be open for business in no time if that were the case.
13 people like this.

Reply 8 - Posted by: DVC 6/23/2020 12:55:44 PM (No. 454139)
Thanks, staff for the fix. The extraneous material was rolled out of the box, didn't see it. Will have to roll it down and check in the future.
2 people like this.

Reply 9 - Posted by: stablemoney 6/23/2020 1:13:49 PM (No. 454154)
Dr. Fauci is testifying before Congress, saying the next couple of weeks will be critical. Dr. Fauci has said that every week for the last 3 months. None of the epidemiologists know what they are doing, and neither do any of the politicians, or business CEO's. There is no scientific basis that any of them can cite to support any of their edicts, which is why they don't provide any cites. There is no emergency to support any lockdowns, and none ever existed. Other government mess ups had already caused many rural hospitals to close. The hospitals were empty or previously closed in April. Any rationale for this oppression ended by the 15th of April, but we won't see any end of the lockdowns this year. The politicians will not lift the emergency decrees, not this year, and I bet not even next year. Meanwhile, our constitution and bill of rights are in shreds. We are learning we have no rights in an arbitrarily declared emergency which never ends.
8 people like this.

Reply 10 - Posted by: Ketchuplover 6/23/2020 1:16:11 PM (No. 454158)
Great expose'. Thanks for posting. Incidentally, you could go down each of his itemized points and it applies to any career politician.
5 people like this.

Reply 11 - Posted by: jeffkinnh 6/23/2020 1:46:26 PM (No. 454183)
"it's a well compensated occupation with little or no personal accountability for the outcome" In other words, epidemiologists are like weather forecasters. They even use the same statistical analysis methods.
12 people like this.

Reply 12 - Posted by: red1066 6/23/2020 3:14:22 PM (No. 454285)
This whole thing could have been different if from the very beginning, these so called experts just told people they didn't know anything about this virus, but like every virus, just wash your hands as often as possible, and don't visit people or go to work if your not feeling well. No shutdown needed.
8 people like this.

Reply 13 - Posted by: czechlist 6/23/2020 4:43:20 PM (No. 454394)
80% of all innovation comes from the private sector. Government agencies are money sink bureaucracies consisting of overpaid narcissists who produce publicity papers, not solutions. The sky is falling! Send $$
5 people like this.

Reply 14 - Posted by: crashnburn 6/23/2020 8:06:27 PM (No. 454592)
I've never been tested, but am pretty sure I've had the Covid-19 virus. If not, I want to have a mild exposure now, just as I turn 66, than later when I get old, so my body has a better chance of generating enough antibodies to defeat it before it kills me. And, I think all young people without co-morbidities should also want to get a mild exposure and generate antibodies while they are young and healthy. Finally, the virus seems to be losing its potency. The more virulent forms kill their hosts before they can spread much, and the less virulent spread more, but don't kill their hosts, and maybe antibodies for one will be able to defeat the other, too.
3 people like this.

Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "DVC"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Most Recent Articles posted by DVC"
The Case for Closing Public Schools…
Indefinitely
36 replies
Posted by DVC 3/5/2021 12:01:33 AM Post Reply
For the past year, parents and students across the county, mostly in Democrat-run municipalities, have been experiencing excessive levels of stress due to unending school closures. Red states like Florida, Texas, and South Dakota have been open for months. Meanwhile, the teacher’s unions have a stranglehold on the public schools in Democrat states, refusing to open for a litany of absurd reasons. Part of me sympathizes with the conservative parents who are struggling to cope with working from home and the online curriculum management of their children. (Though that sympathy does not extend to liberal parents who knowingly voted for this lunacy.) But I am struggling to understand why
Tornado warning on phone mistakenly
sent out without indicating it was a drill
6 replies
Posted by DVC 3/2/2021 2:11:35 PM Post Reply
Lots of people in Kansas and Missouri looked at their phones in confusion Tuesday morning at a tornado warning that did not indicate it was a test.Both states had long-planned to send out a tornado warning test Tuesday at 10 a.m., but a mistake in the process caused that warning to appear legitimate. Emergency alerts sent to phones stated: That caused the National Weather Service in Kansas City to quickly Tweet out the following: Drill ** Drill ** DrillThis is a tornado DRILL. If this were an actual tornado warning, consider what you would do to shelter and stay safe.Let's spread the message as if it were a real tornado warning
The Establishment GOP Still Does Not
Understand the Patriot Movement...and
Never Will
5 replies
Posted by DVC 2/26/2021 5:43:02 PM Post Reply
Recently on FOX News's Hannity show, Ari Fleisher, a self-described member of the establishment GOP, weakly attempted to placate both sides of the fractured Republican Party. He emphatically pleaded the argument that the establishment needs to respect the patriot wing, and the patriot side needs the establishment to know how to pass laws. I am sure I was joined in a collective double-take upon hearing Mr. Fleischer's disconnected reasoning. Since 2008, the Republican Party has been in a political downfall. Each political cycle, the self-lauded establishment GOP overwhelmingly endorsed weak candidates across the board
A picture from Iwo Jima 10 replies
Posted by DVC 2/23/2021 10:33:53 AM Post Reply
It's February. The star-spangled kneelers of the NFL have given way to their imitators in the NBA, and soon some millionaire dugout squatters of baseball will be adding their insults to the flag they hate. Today is February 23, an otherwise unremarkable day in history. The first Gutenberg Bible was printed, the first Salk polio vaccine shot administered, and Mississippi was allowed back in the Union. But nothing worth a holiday or a greeting card. Unless you are ninety-five years old and thinking back to that day of your youth when you were on hunkered behind some ugly volcanic rock stained red
An Offering of Squirrels 4 replies
Posted by DVC 2/19/2021 12:56:33 PM Post Reply
t might have been Michelle Malkin — if it wasn’t, you’ll forgive me; the outbreak of global warming this week has robbed me of my long-term memory along with my admiration for the wonders of wind energy in powering the grid — who first coined the term “squirrels” to describe the cynical and often lazy distractions the Democrats and their media allies so often let loose in order to avoid a discussion of substantial and uncomfortable matters. Squirrels can be large or small. For example, you might not have recognized that the advent of the current wave of identity politics in America was a squirrel — but it was.
Oakland Chinatown store owner who
intervened in robbery arrested
15 replies
Posted by DVC 2/18/2021 2:29:36 AM Post Reply
An Oakland Chinatown liquor store owner was arrested by police after he intervened in a robbery outside his store on Monday, KTVU has learned. A 36-year-old man faces one count of felony assault with a firearm, authorities said. A community member told KTVU that the store owner fired four gunshots when he witnessed a woman being robbed for her camera outside his store at 9th and Franklin streets on Monday at about 5:45 p.m. No one was injured after his gun went off.
12-year-old kills home intruder after
73-year-old woman shot during robbery
18 replies
Posted by DVC 2/15/2021 2:42:29 AM Post Reply
A 12-year-old boy fatally shot a man to protect his grandmother when two intruders broke into her North Carolina home, authorities said. The incident occurred shortly after 12:30 a.m. Saturday when two masked men entered 73-year-old Linda Ellis’ home in Goldsboro, news station WRAL reported. The pair demanded money and shot Ellis in the leg, prompting the 12-year-old to open fire, police said. “[The intruder] just shot his grandma… He would have shot him too, he would’ve shot me too, he would’ve killed us all,” the boy’s great-uncle, Randolph Bunn, told news station WTVD.
A brief history of vaccine screw-ups 5 replies
Posted by DVC 2/4/2021 1:23:43 PM Post Reply
I’ve made a minor hobby of looking skeptically at immunizations since my case report on atypical measles was published as the centerpiece article in JAMA 45 years ago. That case illustrated at least one unpublicized problem from immunizations. It seems that the original measles vaccine, “a killed measles vaccine” was given to preschool kids beginning in 1962-63 and available until 1968. It did prevent measles for about six years. Thereafter, when these kids were exposed to measles they sometimes developed an inverted and much more serious illness. My case was the first that occurred in a young adult 14 years after immunization.
Make the United States Plural Again 8 replies
Posted by DVC 2/4/2021 1:02:39 PM Post Reply
Make the "United States" plural again. Is that so much to ask? Up until the Civil War, that was the customary grammatical construction. "The United States of America are committed to..." "The United States of America have declared war upon..." "The United States of America stand together..." Ah, there's the rub. These United States of ours do not really stand together anymore on anything, and only the linguistic shrewdness of treating the "United States" as a singular entity provides the fictitious veneer of national unity. In a world filled with fake news, fake markets, and fake elections, ignoring proper grammatical rules
Trump uncovered a spirit of racketeering
running the country
36 replies
Posted by DVC 2/4/2021 1:40:47 AM Post Reply
When I look at the last four years and how our country seemed to get more divided than any time since the Civil War, it's easy to conclude that President Trump is the reason it occurred. From the moment he declared war on the corruption in D.C., he became a target of all those entrenched power brokers who have been able to hide their venal activities from an unsuspecting public. Trump became the loudest whistleblower in history when he talked about draining the swamp that had been operating like an organized crime family for generations. In order for a Mafia-like mob to operate effectively
Xi Twists Biden’s Arm at Davos 11 replies
Posted by DVC 1/27/2021 2:54:48 PM Post Reply
Xi Jinping’s kick-off appearance at the winter Davos week this Monday had a simple message for newly inaugurated President Joe Biden: bring America back into the fold, or suffer the consequences. The speech, which opened and closed with World Economic Forum (WEF) Chairman Klaus Schwab heaping praise on Xi, was the Chinese president’s first appearance at Davos since he spoke there in 2017. The atmosphere this time around was no less surreal, at least at first glance. What is the strongman leader of the largest communist nation in the world doing headlining the premier event for the world’s free-trading liberal internationalist elite?
Electric Vehicles Don’t Save Money 17 replies
Posted by DVC 1/22/2021 1:36:05 PM Post Reply
Electric vehicles are being sold, in part, on how much they’ll save people in terms of maintenance costs. That’s a total con. EVs are not no-maintenance or even low-maintenance relative to non-electric cars. They are different maintenance. And they’re not cheaper to maintain. Instead of oil and filter changes, you change the battery pack. That will shortly become clear. An oil/filter change generally costs about $50 ($10 for a filter, $5 per quart of oil times 5 to 6 quarts, plus the labor, if you pay someone else to do it). Most non-electric cars need their oil and filter changed about once every 6,000 miles or so — about twice a year
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Biden's Incoherence Just Hit Critical Mass,
This Is Scary Awful
48 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 3/8/2021 11:45:49 PM Post Reply
As we reported two days ago, Joe Biden completely made no sense when he was trying to explain the Wuhan coronavirus relief bill. It was really bad and it explains why they’re afraid to have him deliver an address to Congress or do any kind of a real solo press conference, because at this point they have to be afraid this is all going to fall apart if he does anything live and this all becomes too obvious to the American people. But there’s only so long that they can hold this off. And it’s getting worse, as video today revealed. Biden was holding an event to announce the nomination
‘Huge Development’: Democrat Sen. Joe
Manchin Starts To Crack On Filibuster,
Signals Openness To Change
41 replies
Posted by Imright 3/8/2021 12:32:41 AM Post Reply
Democrat Senator Joe Manchin (WV) appears to have started to shift his views on the filibuster with remarks that he made on two news shows on Sunday morning.The shift from Manchin comes after he has repeatedly stated that he would not vote to end the filibuster, despite pressure from the far-Left. During the interviews on Sunday, Manchin repeatedly claimed that he was not open to ending the filibuster because he did not want to strip the minority party of their power in the Senate, but signaled that he was open to changing it.Fox News host Chris Wallace asked Manchin if he would consider “reforming the filibuster” if “Republicans
Evangelicals For Biden ‘Feel Used And Betrayed’
By Biden Fulfilling His Radical Abortion Promises
37 replies
Posted by Calvinesq 3/8/2021 10:37:51 AM Post Reply
In an open letter released Sunday, Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden urged him to “honor his commitment” and include the Hyde Amendment in Democrats’ $1.9 trillion COVID-19 spending package, writing “we feel used and betrayed.” The letter states: We are very disappointed about the COVID-19 relief package’s exclusion of the Hyde Amendment, a longstanding bipartisan policy that prevents taxpayer funding for abortion. [snip] As pro-life leaders in the evangelical community, we publicly supported President Biden’s candidacy with the understanding that there would be engagement [with] us on the issue of abortion and particularly the Hyde Amendment
Meghan Markle reveals her true
self in Oprah interview
32 replies
Posted by Imright 3/8/2021 9:11:10 AM Post Reply
If you had any doubts that Meghan Markle is a manipulative piece of work, her bombshell Oprah interview Sunday night dumping on the British monarchy would set you straight. Prince Harry’s American wife accused his family of hateful racism against her baby, claimed they refused to protect her and drove her to the point of suicide.She made the incendiary and implausible charge that when she was pregnant with Archie, the royal family decreed that her unborn son would be denied the title of “prince” because her mixed race meant he might have dark skin.
Biden’s German Shepherds Shipped Back
to Delaware After ‘Biting Incident’
Involving White House Security
31 replies
Posted by Imright 3/8/2021 11:38:50 PM Post Reply
Joe and Jill Biden’s German Shepherds were shipped back to Delaware after a “biting incident” involving White House security, CNN reported.Major was adopted by Joe Biden and his handler wife Jill in 2018 from an animal shelter.Major and Champ moved into the White House in January and they’re already gone. The condition of the victim was not disclosed but it was serious enough to remove both dogs from the White House.CNN reported: The two German Shepherds belonging to President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden were returned to the Biden family home in Delaware last week
Pelosi’s HR1 bill a blatant power grab for Democrats 30 replies
Posted by FlyRight 3/8/2021 5:28:52 AM Post Reply
Nancy Pelosi’s top priority is to turn America into a one-party nation ruled by Democrats. Her bill HR 1 trashes the U.S. Constitution in an attempt to rig the system and make it virtually impossible to elect a Republican president or Congress again. It’s a power grab. The bill eviscerates state voting laws and forces all the states to conform to a set of rules that includes automatic voter registration. Anyone who goes to a DMV or applies for food stamps, Medicaid or other social services, or attends a public college will be automatically enrolled to vote. Noncitizens are obligated to identify themselves and opt out,
Biden seems to forget defense
secretary’s name, calls him
'the guy who runs that outfit'
29 replies
Posted by Ribicon 3/8/2021 8:37:17 PM Post Reply
President Biden on Monday seemed to forget Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s name at a White House event—calling the Pentagon chief “the guy who runs that outfit over there.” Biden was announcing the nomination of two female generals to lead US military combatant commands. “And I want to thank the sec—the, the, ah former general. I keep calling him general, but my, my—the guy who runs that outfit over there,” Biden said.(Snip) Earlier at the event, Biden mentioned the Defense Department leader by his name, “Secretary Austin,” while appearing to read from a teleprompter.
Oprah interview bombshells: Meghan claims
she was suicidal when she was five months
pregnant, Kate made HER cry and Royals
refused to make Archie a prince because
they were worried how 'dark' he would be
27 replies
Posted by Imright 3/8/2021 8:21:02 AM Post Reply
The Royal Family was left reeling this morning after Meghan Markle tearfully revealed that the stress of royal life made her suicidal when she was five months pregnant, claimed Archie was denied the title of prince because he is mixed-race and said Kate Middleton made her cry before she married Harry in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.The couple also chose to reveal that they are having a baby girl to the tens of millions of people watching the CBS show broadcast in the US before accusing the Royal Family of racism and revealing the deep rift 'Megxit' has caused with Prince Charles and Prince William.
Meghan Markle openly
accuses the Royals
of racism
26 replies
Posted by Magnante 3/8/2021 5:26:07 AM Post Reply
I’m probably second to none in my dislike for Meghan Markle. There’s something unattractive about a mature woman marrying into the British Royal family with one of the world’s most expensive weddings, hanging out with the Queen, living in insane luxury…and then whining non-stop about the horror of her life. There’s something even less appealing when that woman accuses the Royal family of race hatred. And the problem is that, when it comes to that left-wing diva, Meghan Markle, it’s hard to believe most of what she says. After weeks of hype, CBS finally televised Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah.
Watch: John Solomon Gives Stunning Update
in Durham’s ‘Russiagate’ Investigation
24 replies
Posted by Imright 3/8/2021 4:56:55 PM Post Reply
Without question, the vast majority of Americans who support former President Donald Trump were angry and frustrated throughout 2020 passed with barely a mention of then-U.S. Attorney John Durham’s criminal investigation into the FBI’s fraudulent “Russiagate” counterterrorism operation directed at his 2016 campaign.In the weeks before the November election, word got out that then-Attorney General William Barr wasn’t going to announce any indictments or even a report on Durham’s investigation because he did not want to influence the outcome.So far, in fact, the only indictment to come out of the Durham probe is that of former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith, who essentially got a slap on the wrist
Democrats renew calls to remove
J. Edgar Hoover's name from FBI building
24 replies
Posted by Ribicon 3/8/2021 2:56:29 PM Post Reply
Rep. Steve Cohen vowed to renew the push to remove former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s name from the bureau’s downtown Washington headquarters, according to an interview released Monday. Appearing on Yahoo! News’ Skullduggery podcast, the Tennessee Democrat said the effort is getting a fresh look after the release of a new movie highlighting the FBI’s secret program to discredit civil rights activists. The Washington Times in 2019 first reported Democrats’ bid to strip the longtime FBI director’s name from the bureau’s headquarters. Mr. Cohen said the impetus to revive the bid is the new movie, “Judas and the Black Messiah.” The movie details
Jill Biden, the Meghan Markle
in the WH, is egregiously
guilty of elder abuse
23 replies
Posted by Magnante 3/9/2021 4:40:38 AM Post Reply
“There must have been a moment, at the beginning, when we could have said –-no. But somehow we missed it.” Tom Stoppard The millions of Americans who were paying attention throughout the 2020 election campaign all became painfully aware of the fact that Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities were slipping and slipping fast. His wife, as the person closest to him, should have been the one to call the campaign quits in order to reduce stress on the man. Instead, apparently so anxious to become the First Lady by any means necessary, Mrs. Biden continued to push her failing husband’s campaign forward as if he were mentally qualified.
Post New Article